The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for hydraulically mining friable material such as coal, tar sands, and uranium and, more particularly, is concerned with the handling and conveyance of such material once broken loose from its in situ state.
In its more specific aspects, the invention is concerned with an improvement of the apparatus and method forming the subject of United States Patent Application Ser. No. 597,985, filed July 22, 1975, by Arthur W. T. Grimley, (corresponding to Canadian Patent Application Ser. No. 212,253, filed Oct. 25, 1974). That application discloses an hydraulic mining apparatus and method wherein a feeder-breaker mechanism is provided with two jet monitors, one of which is provided for dislodging in situ material from a mine and the other of which is provided for breaking up dislodged material for handling purposes. The feeder-breaker shown in the application includes a conveyor extending over the length of the apparatus and a breaker disposed intermediate the ends of the conveyor to reduce mined aggregate in size. Ultimately, the conveyor discharges the treated material into a flume, from whence, together with water in the flume, it travels under the influence of gravity.
The apparatus and method of the present invention is an improvement over that of aforementioned Application Ser. No. 597,985 in that it provides for the separation of the mined material into a pumpable constituent and a dry, conveyable constituent. As a result, the material treated by the feeder-breaker mechanism of the present invention is not dependent upon gravity transport in a flume. This, in turn, means that the apparatus and method of the invention may be used in environments where the grade within the mine being worked is insufficient to effectively support gravity transport within a flume.